Amari Cooper taking aim at clearing 1,000-yard receiving ‘milestone’

On Dec 21, 2022

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper, defended by Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson catches a 25-yard pass for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

BEREA − Amari Cooper has posted five 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his career. The Browns receiver may be just a couple of catches on Saturday away from making that six.

Whether it happens against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, or the following week, it’s an accomplishment that Cooper believes isn’t insignificant.

“Yeah, for sure,” Cooper said Wednesday. “It’s a milestone that people respect. It’s the milestone that people start to view a receiver like, ‘Yeah, he had a good season,’ so yeah it is.”

Cooper heads into Saturday’s game against the Saints with 932 yards on 67 catches. It’s already the best of all of his non-1,000-yard seasons, the previous coming a year ago in Dallas when he had 865 yards on 68 catches.

The last time Cooper had a 1,000-yard season was with the Cowboys in 2020. That season, he had 1,114 yards on 92 catches.

The quarterback for the majority of that season was Andy Dalton, who played in 11 games and started nine due to an injury to Dak Prescott. Dalton will be the starting quarterback for New Orleans on Saturday.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton (14) and wide receiver Amari Cooper (19) react after they connected for a touchdown pass and catch against the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday in Baltimore.

“Andy is a cool dude, man,” Cooper said. “We weren’t very good that year. I think it was the year Dak got hurt, Andy came in, he started a lot of games. Yeah, I think he did well.”

Cooper has once again had to adjust to a new quarterback mid-season. This time, though, the quarterback taking over, Deshaun Watson, is the one who’s the long-term answer at the position.

The Browns acquired Cooper on March 16 from the Cowboys. Two days later, they acquired Watson from the other Texas team, the Houston Texans.

They hope the final six games, with Watson back from his 11-game suspension, are a chance for the two former Pro Bowlers to get on the same page.

“I mean, it’s a blessing to be able to have Amari and the things that he can do and the things that he’s seen and just be able to be that big brother for me,” Watson said, “because he’s older than me, so I have an opportunity to learn from him and what other quarterbacks he played with was thinking and what he thinks on certain coverages versus certain (defensive backs). And then also for him to be able to talk with the younger receivers and show them the way to be a professional and how to prep for each one of the games. It’s awesome to see.”

Cooper’s expectations of doing well start with the plateau he’s looking to clear on Saturday. He posted five 1,000-yard seasons in his first six years in the league between 2015-20, with the only time he didn’t hit that mark coming when he only played 14 games in 2017.

The former No. 4 overall pick of the Raiders in the 2015 draft out of the University of Alabama, though, is aiming even higher than just 1,000 yards. His career high is 1,189, which he obtained in his last Pro Bowl season with Dallas in 2019.

“I mean, it’s cool,” Cooper said. “I mean it’s something that I expect to do every year barring injury or things like that. Really just trying to reach that next level, 1,500-yard seasons, things like that.”

Cooper hasn’t missed a game this season, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t playing through pain. He suffered a core muscle injury late in the week leading into the Dec. 11 game at Cincinnati, but still managed to play.